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Talk:A review/@comment-5963641-20180516190423
Hi there! Thanks for your review, it was a really great read and I'm glad you could share your opinion here. I quite liked the pilot episode, but I recognise all it's faults and how some things were rather vague. So just to clear some things up for you (in the order you brought them up)... Shannen Doherty's character is JD's mom (that is what the show states her as in the credits at the end of the episode, the red scrunchie and clothes she wears are simply a reference to Shannen's involvement with the original film but are not signifying that she is the same character - although it's perfectly understandable to have mixed that up and perhaps they should have been a bit more subtle with their reference to the original), and, while she was only in the pilot episode briefly, she will appear in two more episodes later on in the show. Her role is described as being 'pivotal' for the show, presumably because her actions had a massive effect on JD's development and so the show it going to flesh that out more than in the film. Heather McNamara is being promoted as a lesbian with a 'big secret' so it is not a lie that sites have been describing her this way. The pilot episode hints that her 'big secret' is that she is not actually a lesbian - or is perhaps bisexual or pansexual - as yes, she was seen making out with her male teacher. We do not yet know why she is pretending to be a lesbian, but this should become clearer as the show goes on - we'll just have to watch more to find out and exactly what she's doing and why! I completely agree that the 'We’re bringing Bullying Back' Instagram caption is problematic! However, my understanding is as follows: the show is not promoting or condoning bullying, but rather, satirising bullying. The Heathers, both in the show, film and musical, are (to put it simply, and at face value) the top of the school's social hierarchy and as such they possess power over the rest of the students. They more or less use this power, wrongfully, to better their own lives and to try to change the rest of the school by somewhat bullying them into accepting their own view. This marketing campaign the show has chosen is therefore attempting to introduce this to the new audience, after all, it has been almost 30 years since the original film. Therefore they are not trying to popularise bullying, but they are literally bringing back the Heathers (who are a set of bullies) to our screens. And as we both know, once Veronica and JD enter the mix everything changes very dramatically and the Heathers don't have much of a chance to continue bullying. So I 100% get your concern about this risky advertising choice, it is a bit misleading but it's not all bad! The choice to make members of typically minority groups the all powerful Heathers is meant to represent how times have progressed very much since the original Heathers and therefore those who were traditionally the 'bullied' now have the opportunity be the 'bullies'. Arguably, we haven't quite reached that stage, but the show has good intentions by trying to include more diversity. Of course, it is regrettable that JD and Veronica are still white, straight and cis - as these characters happen to cause trouble for the diverse group of Heathers... Other examples of inclusivity include Kurt Kelly being out and proud and Betty Finn being a prominent Asian-American student. Of course in the original Kurt and Ram were killed by JD and (unwillingly) Veronica, who then staged the murders as suicide due to Kurt and Ram supposedly being gay (which was no way near as acceptable then as it now). Ram, and it seems the rest of the students, have absolutely no problem with Kurt's sexuality in the 2018 show and therefore Kurt and Ram's storyline will likely play out differently to how it did in the film. Going back to the Heathers, while yes they are the school's bullies, they are not necessarily the villains of the show (although once again, it's unfortunate that JD and 'good girl' Veronica are white, straight and cis in comparison to the diverse Heathers, as at face value this can appear as if the minority groups are being demonised when they are definitely not intended to be!). This is not the first time popular mean cliques have included some diversity though, so are they really being demonised? The musical had both a black actress and a Korean actress playing Heather Duke in the LA and Off-Broadway runs, and the upcoming Off-West End run also has a black actress in the role - which is a lot meaner than the Duke of the film. The current Mean Girls musical also happens to include an Asian American actress as one of the Plastics. The view that they are being demonised is justified to an extent bearing in mind that the show is much much darker than both the film and musical (and Mean Girls is no way near as dark as any of them). The show's creator describes the Heathers as being misunderstood, and after the first few episodes of the show the story is rumoured to surpass the story of the film, which allows for more time for the characters to be fleshed out further and for the Heathers to undergo growth as the show becomes it's own. It is after all based on the film, rather than being a simple copy of it, which is evident by the several alterations it has made already. Also, it is definitely worth noting that JD and Veronica DO NOT kill anyone because of their gender/ethnicity/race or any other physical characteristic or identity!! They kill because of the actions/intentions of each of the characters and how they treat other people - NOT because of who they are. JD's dad is not obsessed with Hitler, but has an interest in World War II which happens to include Hitler. Yes it is an unusual hobby but the historical interest overall is not necessarily creepy. It is creepy that he owns the Nazi uniform and pills though - I cannot deny that!! My best guess is the show is trying to expand on and explain what we know about JD from the film. Film JD had 'iche luge' ('I'm lying') bullets, so the show is perhaps suggesting why film JD chose to hide his true plan from Veronica by speaking German rather than any other language. If JD grew up around German memorabilia it would make some sense why he'd use it with an unsuspecting Veronica and - in addition to his witnessing of his mother's suicide at a young age - would also contribute to explaining why JD in general has an extremely dark personality. I actually enjoyed the twist that Chandler actually survived as it means we'll get some new and interesting plot points. Again, the show is based on but is not limited to the characters and ideas of the original so while extremely unexpected and different this twist doesn't have to be bad. Betty did know Heather Chandler, but yes the whole point was that it was very unexpected that she decided to deliver a eulogy. Betty will most likely not be as mean as the Heathers but she and her friend group have indeed become the popular clique at Westerburg. They will probably try to impose their own ideals onto the school, possibly positive/activist ones, although the means by which they do so will likely be only a little better than how the Heathers ruled the school. I was not a massive fan of the vending machine scene either. I'm also not familiar with the concept of 'post-queer' but I'm assuming it's something in the realm of post-modernism. Also worth noting that a large majority of the crew (including writers, directors, actors etc) are part of the LGTB+ community so a lot of the 'jokes', language and dialogue is satirical/somewhat self-aware. I'm glad that you gave the show a chance rather than instantly writing it off without having seen any of it like many critics have. You raise some valid concerns and points, the show is not perfect. I personally did enjoy it, though I hear everything you're saying, and I think there were many things it did well among with many things that weren't great. Apparently the show gets better with each episode and by the second half of the season it's much better. One last note from me is that the show is a social commentary, it's clearly not set in a realistic world like the one we live in but rather some kind of exaggerated, stylised, hyper-reality that is meant to mock the society we live in and prompt us to question and change our society.